Marker for graves



(No Model.)

J. A. OOPFEY.

MARKER FOR GRAVES, LANDS, 55G. No. 605,395. Patented June 7, 1898.-

uffhi Sm w g l V I a w PqlazmziCff WITNESSES 1 %Q%@2ZJ?T X&JQ L; iflitorng N rnD STATES I IAQTENT FFICE.

OHN A. corner, or ANAOQNDA, MONTANA.

MARKER FORGRAVES, LANDS, 80c.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 605,395, dated June 7,1898. f

Application filed November 11, 1897. Serial No. 653,143. (No model-l forGraves, Lands, &c.; and I do hereby dc clare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it ap pertains to make and use thesame, reference.

being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in markersfor graves,

, monuments, lands, guide-posts, &c., the bject of my invention being toprovide a neat and inexpensive device primarily designed for markinggraves, but which may be readily used wherever it is desirable to use amarker for general purposes; and the i11ve11- tion provides a simple,cheap, and effective marker, the covering-plate thereof having signs orm arks,which plate is adapted to form a part of a casing, said casingcontaining plates which receive cards, pictures, or other matter; and myinvention consists in the combination, with a suitable support, of acasing whiclris adapted to be permanently secured thereto and formlareceptacle for a series of plates orleaves, together with a removablecovering-plate or tablet which is held in movableengagement with thecasing,.

as will be hereinafter set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showingthe: marker carried by a bar, the ends of which may enter the ground toform a support therefor. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view. Fig. 3 isa transverse sectional view of one of the leaves .or tablets, and Fig.4: is a'vertical section showing the marker applied to a monument. Arefers to a suitable support, which may consist of a bar of metal bentupon itself, as

shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, orit maybe a stone, as shown in Fig.4., and when a stone is used the face to which the marker is applied isrecessed, so that the rear face of the marker may lie within the recessand be secured thereto, so as to be maintained in A and the edges of thecasing. may have set-screws for holding them in rigid substantially thesame position as if it were suspended from a cross-bar and held inengagement with the bar below, as it is when a bent bar asasupporting-frame is used.

13 refers to the rear wall of a casing, which is bent at an obtuse anglenear its upper end to provide an inclined portion B, the upper edge ofwhich is bent about, so as'to be permanently attached to a cross-bar b.This cross-bar is of sufficient length to extend beiyond'the casing andengages with the side bars of the su pporting-bar A when such a bar isused; but in case the inclosing frame is otherwise secured in place thisbar I) is attachedto the supportin any suitable manner or may bedispensed with,especially when the rear Wall E is fastened by pins orbolts to a stone tablet or othersupport. In conjunction with thesupporting-frame A, cross-bar b, and the rear portion of the casingI usesleeves b,

which are positioned upon the cross-bar b, so

as to abut against the side bars of the frame Said sleeves engagementwith'the bar upon-which they are mounted. The lower edge of the rearWall of the casing B is provided with a projecting portion 19 which iscentrally positioned and has an aperture therethrough, and adjacent tothe lower edge are: keepers or bent plates 11 for holding the rear wallof the casing in engagement with thelower crossbar A. The upper portionof the rear plate has rigidlyattached a keeper of covering-piece forthepurpose of retaining positively in place theouter plate of the casingand at the same time permits .saidouter .plate being'swung upwardly whenit is desired to have access to the interior of the casing. The upperportion of the plate B carries hooks 13*, upon which tablets or-leavesare suspended, said tablets or leaves being made up of sheet metal, andto the longitudi nal edges are secured strips cc, which serve to retainin place cards, pictures, mementos, printed directions, or other matterwhich may be placed under a transparent plate also'held in place by thestrips. The upper ends of the plates 0 are provided with loops or eyes0', which engage with the hook B cl refers to cross-bars which areattached to the rear wall of the casing and have their ends bent atright angles, so as to engage with the side plates D of the casing, saidplates being in the form of a parallelogram.

The outer plate E of the casing is bent at its upper portion, so as toembrace the por-v tion of the rear wall which is bent about the rod 1),and upon this outer plate is engraved or marked any suitableinscription, and the same is suitably ornamented. The lower portion ofthis plate is bent so as to lie over the lower edges of the side wallsD, and it has a depending portion 6, the same having an aperture toregister with the aperture in the projecting or depending portion of therear wall, and through said apertures-may pass a hasp of alock or anysuitable fastening device. The outer plate is designed to be removablyattached to its upper support when the keeper which engages with theouter plate is removed,

one of the objects of such construction being to provide means wherebythe inscribed outer plate when designed as a grave-marker may beutilized as a coffin-plate, and when used for such purpose the bentportion may rest upon the molding of the coffin, the other endmaintaining the inscribed plate in a horizontal position.

The device hereinbefore described may be used as a land-marker, and thetablets or leaves will then hold the inscriptionsgiving metes andbounds, ownership, &c. It may also be used in connection withguide-posts for roads, and in such an instance the plates will containdirections.

In a device of the character-described it will be noted that the upperportion of the casing inclines, so as to shed water or snow when thesame is exposed to the elements, and that the bend which incloses thecross-bar is covered by the upper portion of the face-plate, which isbent to lie over the same, the construction providing a water-tightjoint. It will also be noted that the rear wall of the casin g inclinesand that the tablets which are suspended from the hooks are maintainedin an inclined position, so as to be readily visible when thecovering-plate is raised.

The device herein described is cheap and durable, and the casingthoroughly protects the contents from the weather and the light, auditis designed generally as an improvement upon my prior patent, datedApril 19, r

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a markerfor the purpose set forth, the combination with asupporting-frame having a cross-bar I) attached thereto, a casingrigidly attached to the bar and frame, the easing consisting of rear,front and side pieces, the rear plate B being bent to present a downwardand rearward inclined top and adownward and forward inclined portionbelow, the side pieces D being attached to the rear plate and acovering-plate E held in swinging engagement with the cross-bar andadapted to lie over the side pieces D carried by the rear plate, hooks Battached to the under side of the upper portion of the rear plate andtablets suspended from the hook said tablets being maintained in aninclined position, substantially as shown.

2. In combination with a casing and suspended covering plate therefor,hooks attached to the inner upper wall of the casing, cross-bars d (1attached to the side wall of the casing, said cross-bars extending overthe inner wall thereof and out of contact therewith,

of tablets having eyes for engagement with the hooks said tabletsresting upon the crossbars so as to be maintained in an inclinedposition out of contact with the wall of the casing, substantially asshown.

3. In a marker for the purpose set forth, the combination with a casingand its support, the casing comprising a rear plate bent so that itsupper portion will incline rearward and downward the continuation of theplate extending from the bend down ward and toward the front, means asshown for rigidly attaching the rear plate to the support, lozengeshaped side pieces rigidly attached to the edges of the back plate, acovering-plate in swinging engagementwith the rear plate, the sameadapted to swing by gravity downward so as to lie over the front edgesof the side pieces, hooks attached to the upper portion'of the rearplate within the casing and tablets which engage with the hooks anddepend therefrom in an inclinedposition, substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of. two witnesses.

JOHN A. COFFEY.

Witnesses:

A. E. ROWE, WM. E. THOMAS.

